Two halves make One
by iZam-Brighteyes
Summary: The hard childhood of a young Sheikah, completely unaware of his destiny, and, somewhere, years after that, a young Princess who strives to save her kingdom... How can these two be possibly reunited through time? My theory on how Sheik came to be.
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

_Two halves make One_

_Prologue_

This happened thousands of lifetimes ago, when the beautiful lands of Hyrule were still at peace, its soil still pure and free of bloodstains from the Fierce War. In the young days of the Kakariko village, back then inhabited by a tribe of Sheikahs, life was joyful and simple. It seemed like ages since the last time Sheikanh warriors had to depart for conflicts on neighboring countries. Nonetheless, ever watchful and careful, the Sheikahs continued to teach their youngs the ways of battle, for the time could always come when once again, they would have to fight alongside the Hylians. For between the two peaceful races laid a sacred and noble alliance, of unbreakable bonds. Both people were long-eared, thus able to hear the voices of their holy Goddesses, and that was enough similarities for them to instantly consider each other as allies.

When exactly the Hylians encountered the Sheikahs for the first time is clouded and partially forgotten, but one knows that in exchange for a permanent home, the Sheikahs being forever homeless and straying, Hylians demanded to be protected and helped when in danger or at war, demanded they would serve alongside the Royal Family of Hyrule for the eons to come. Sheikanh and Hylian seals were exchanged, and soon the two sacred symbols were brought together as one throughout the plains. The Sheikahs were built and given a village for them to live and prosper in, named Kakariko, meaning 'Alliance' in the ancient Hylian language.

And never both people regretted having forged this bond, for a truly great peace and maturity lived amongst them. The Hylians were cheerful and brave, worth of trust and strong, while Sheikahs were thoughtful and agile, honest and righteous. Both people learned from the other, as Hylians were gifted with magical abilities that surpassed any other race. Their ease when handling swords, shields, spears and even bows was almost unsettling, and many of them even knew how to fight while horseback riding. Hylians' day-to-day business was conducted mainly during daytime hours, the coming of sunset announcing the time for sleep, thus their skin being tanned or reddened.

Sheikahs on the other hand, were very peculiar beings. More fast and agile than strong, they handled daggers, short swords, chain whips and poisoned needles with amazing accuracy. Their strange ability to hide perfectly in the shadows was astounding, and it seemed as though they could see right through people's lies down to the very truth. But it was the only kind of magic their kin seemed to possess. They lived mostly in the night and retreated at dawn to sleep, without exception, thus the obvious paleness of their skin. The average Sheikah was a bit taller than a Hylian, and less bulky in appearance. Sheikahs were lean and slim, lightly muscled and highly flexible, easily capable of doing all sorts of acrobatics even in less than good space conditions. Their hair was silver in color, ranging from dark to light, but never, ever of any other color. Bizarre, piercing red eyes they all had, from dark crimson to light orange-red. This intrigued Hylians like nothing else, for their people's eyes and hair came in a variety of colors, except silver and red. It felt as though Sheikahs were the complete opposite of Hylians, and still they were at peace, using those differences wisely to complete each other and become stronger.

Both worshipped the great Din, Nayru and Farore, but Sheikahs also devoted a deep cult to a force they named 'The Shadow'. They said it was the source of their abilities to hide and melt whenever there was darkness. When one was marked on the back with the Eye of Truth by The Shadow, it was then that they could be considered a true Sheikah, it was then that they became a part of The Shadow itself, being one with it and every other Sheikah that was also marked. True Sheikahs could easily be recognized, even when masked, by anyone; they had no shadows following them when there was light. This could only be proving the presence of The Shadow, but never Hylians could understand its role and place amongst their Goddesses.

It seemed like Hyrule was living in its golden age back then, its people happy, its seasons gentle and warm, its spirit untouched by the scars of war and treason…


	2. Chapter 1: Shivers

"Sheik! Come out, quick! The sun has set already!" Shouted a childish female voice from below. Long, silvery hair danced about as she jumped excitedly, bright red eyes upturned into the house's window above her. A equally young boy with messy bed hair finally appeared at the window, opening it quickly and looking at the horizon. The sky still had large stripes of dark pink and orange, with a few stars already apparent underneath them. The boy sighed. How she managed to always be the first one awake in the village amazed him, and he would have gladly taken some more hours of sleep, after the intensive training his father made him go trough the night before.

"Liyana... Please, it's only 20:30!" Sheik whined, passing an hand in his silvery hair to shake away the dizziness of waking up too fast. "Isn't it a bit early for anything?"

"Of course not! Come on down!"

The boy wanted to protest but couldn't find any words. He turned on his heels and put on the first clothes his hands could grasp on the floor, them being a dark blue shirt and plain black pants. The faint, dying light of the day seemed to pour into the young one's room and a glimmer caught his attention in the corner of his eye. His gaze was unwillingly set upon his lyre, that had been laid there long ago on a dusty shelf. A light frown made its way across his face, and he wished he could reach out and play it like he did long ago. Or at least to him it looked like it was long ago.

_Time is so unfair... _

He did reach out for it, gently pinching one of the strings and a soft note resonated in the heavy twilight of his room. A smile as faint as the pale moon rising above Hyrule formed on his lips, and his gaze softened, showing a look of desperation and longing. His mother had this instrument forged and built for him when he was very, very young. She showed him the basics and he continued to learn by himself, much to his mother's contentment. He truly had a natural talent for everything that went around producing and playing music, creating poems and songs of maturity that never ceased to amaze his mother. Now it rested on a shelf, forgotten up until now. He cursed destiny under his breath as his hand left the golden instrument. He thought about going away, running away from Kakariko, with only his lyre and his feet to guide him. Liyana would come along, too. It would be perfect. It was the way Sheikahs were really supposed to live, wasn't it?

He dismissed the strange thought by shaking his head, and walked down the set of stairs, head hung low from the overwhelming fatigue and brusque awakening.

"What is it you wanted?" Sheik asked, closing the door behind him gently not to wake his parents. Liyana looked enthralled by something, he could feel it. There was something in her tone of voice that told him she'd just seen something very interesting or unusual. She just playfully giggled and took his hand. Sheik blushed inwardly and followed her without a protest.

They ran playfully to the village's end, and Sheik let himself smile and even laugh with her as he tried to outrun the young girl. They climbed up the ladder that lead next to the huge windmill. Sitting side by side, they watched the moon slowly appearing over Hyrule. Staring at that moon reminded Sheik that soon he would have to get to training, and the carefree, stomach-tickling feeling vanished. He bit his bottom lip furiously, embarrassed to have let out such an inappropriate feeling. Each time it happened, it was only harder to get back to reality again. He turned his gaze to Liyana.

"Hm?" Sheik looked confused at the sight of his bouncy friend. She was definitely up to something.

"I was walking on the mountain's trails earlier and guess what I saw!"

Sheik felt a wave of panic run through him. She had been told not to go there. It was dangerous, people could easily die up there, but she was so stubborn, nothing could stop her. Even if that meant getting up earlier just to walk a bit on the massive mountain's trails, may it only be at its base.

He decided he would only waste his words if he warned her again, so with much difficulty he answered.

"I wouldn't have a clue." He couldn't deny this interested him, though. The daily routine was boring and most of all, harsh and demanding. He envied her, for her parents decided she wouldn't be a warrior, but rather an artist. Liyana was an incredible dancer. He envied her but never was jealous, he could never bring himself to be mad at her, even in times when she was as stubborn as a Beamos.

"An Hylian battling a whole bunch of red tektites!" She simply said. Sheik awaited the rest of the story, debating hard already not to scold her for being meters away from a bunch of tektites, but when he saw she was finished, he gave a long sigh.

"Oh, how bizarre... You woke me up for this?" He replied sarcastically, a bad mood starting to kick in.

"But, the thing is..." There she lowered her voice to a quiet whisper, and Sheik had to lean down to hear her better. "He died."

"So what? A lot of people have been reported dead or never seen again in the mountains... And besides, that's another proof as to why you should never go there, let again alone!" Nothing went through him. Young apprentice-warrior Sheikahs were roughly trained, it was known. He had been well-taught. Death happens. That was it.

"But, but... he seemed already so weak... How come?" She asked with the renewed innocence of a child that wanted to know everything, down to the meaning of life itself. Sheik only gave a small chuckle.

"That's why we must protect them, I guess." He simply answered. Liyana giggled.

"Yes but, sometimes I wonder what's the point, if we're stronger than them...?" She asked again with insatiable curiosity. Sheik opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Why couldn't he answer?

Because he didn't know. His father taught him of an alliance made long, long ago. But was it all? Throughout all these years of training, of learning, of pain... it was all for an alliance he didn't even give his agreement for? He stared at Liyana, studying her face, frowning. She gave a yip of embarrassment.

"Hey... did I say something funny?" She asked, careful not to anger him, because he was so unpredictable sometimes, she'd known to be careful.

It took a moment before he replied, still staring in her eyes, as if hoping she would answer that question, because he wanted to know.

Sheik had always secretly held a dear hate for the Hylians. He would never admit it, even to himself at the time, but he was weak of heart. Before the long, hard training years started, Sheik was the kind of boy to play around in the forest, playing his lyre with Liyana all the time. Life seemed so easy, and he loved to watch the nature grow and live around him, and learned his own way. But then, at the age of 10, the world shifted upside down for him. His father started to take on his son's more important education, ignoring his wife's instinct on their child's destiny. It was his time to be a man, and to learn the ways of life as a Sheikah Warrior. And he never was offered the choice, this probably being the reason why his anger and hatred stayed bottled up inside where nobody could see it, not even himself.

His father told him how to fight, how to hide, how to be silent, when to strike, everything a shadow warrior would need to learn, the precious techniques passed down from generations to generations unto him. He was often distracted and uninterested, and his father was unfortunately one who did not take it easily. Sometimes, when training, Sheik looked at the younger ones playing together outside, without a care for the world. It brought tears to his eyes and he thought about Liyana, and how the world seemed beautiful... but then an hard slap would hit Sheik right in his face, and, unknown to his father, in his heart... and he went back to his training session.

He was told he lived to protect the Royal Family of Hyrule, and also that he would die by it. He could not fight against such a strong alliance between two races, no matter how hard he hated to wake up every night to train endlessly. It never stopped. And he had still so much more to learn...

Now he was 16, and it was far from over. Especially for him. That one fateful night... he was presented to The Shadow, along with other Sheikahn apprentices of his age. The moment of truth, if not a bad play on words, because it really was. His father had told him much about this day, this fateful day, where he would finally become a true man, a true Sheikah. Where finally, all the hiding techniques his father taught him would be useful, hidden among the comforting darkness.

The Shadow was like the Goddesses for the Hylians. Altough the Sheikahs also worshipped the 3 golden Goddesses, The Shadow held a special place for them. It was loved and worshipped everyday, and in return The Shadow helped the Sheikahs by aiding them in battle. For the Sheikanh tribe, the plural of Shadow didn't exist. The Shadow was all that was dark, and it was whole and unique; bound altogether. All Sheikahs whom The Shadow had left its mark upon became a part if it, and thus could melt in it very easily, making them semi-invisible and very unpredictable in battle. This special night, the youngs were to be facing The Shadow for the first time, and it was at that crucial moment that It decided whether or not they were ready to hold its mark and honor their family.

They were all standing before the entrance of the Shadow Temple. Some torches had been lit, but not all of them, and it gave the strange room an eerie feeling. Families were watching from the back of the room, near the exit, while sons and daughters were nervously waiting. In front of the children was a wall that had a mysterious painting on it... depicting the ever so eerie smiling face of a creature, that seemed to melt with all the darkness painted around It. Its head laid on His hands, as if It was happily watching all of the children who had come to see It. That was The Shadow. It was how Sheikahs had given their God a face to look at, and this very face always haunted Sheik in his dreams.

Seeing it now as big as ever, and seeming so... there, so alive, frightened him to no end. He felt as if everything was of darkness and death around him, and wanted to scream. Scream and go back outside, with the sounds of the crickets and night birds all around him. The sound of life. He wanted to go away, away from this place. Never to come back.

A slow, sorrow-filled moan resonated in the room, and a thick black fog descended around the children, hugging them like a mother would with her child. Other moans could suddenly be heard.

Spirits.

It sent millions of shivers up Sheik's spine. Dead people. Talking to him. Long-dead ancestors. His eyes widened; was he the only one who was scared stiff like that? Yes, yes, he was. The other children were all smiling, closing their eyes, lulled by the voices. Sheik couldn't understand. Poor child who didn't belong there.

The fog danced around the children, forming a circle around each of them, each of them except Sheik. And all the other fathers who stood there merely shook their heads with disappointment. Everyone knew that Sheik wouldn't make it. No matter how much his father tried to convince them (and himself) that Sheik was only a bit distracted... everyone knew he was weak of heart and was frightened by the cruelty of life. His father wore a mixed expression of shame, anger and embarrassment on his face. His son wasn't a true Sheikah. How did this happen? How could he dishonor his family like that!?

The weeks and months and years after were spent into a more intensive training like Sheik had never endured before. His mother didn't protest against what his father made him endure, but she was still always there when Sheik crawled in the house at the end of the night, crying like the world was about to end. And she comforted him, telling him to hold on, to be strong... She passed her hands lovingly in his glistening silvery hair, to wipe the sweat and blood away... And he cried so much, often he fell asleep on her lap, and when his father entered the house she would give him a stare than look back at her son. But nothing more. His father didn't care.

Nobody really cared except Liyana. The Liyana that was sitting next to him right now, at this moment, as his memories flashed once more in his mind. Lowering his head again with the unbearable weight of a family's dishonored son, Sheik gave a weak sigh.

"No, not at all..." He slowly answered, suddenly taking his eyes off her face and looking back at the horizon. Liyana was confused, but was nonetheless used to the new Sheik. No, in fact, Sheik hadn't changed even a bit. It was true he was stronger, but he was still the wounded child he was years ago, tears at the corners of his eyes at the idea of being a warrior of darkness and death. At the idea of dieing for people he did not even know, when he wanted to live. He wanted to scream it at the top of his lungs for the world to hear. For every Hylian to hear, especially the Royal Family. He wanted to spit in their face and curse them all, and live for his own self. Why was he the only one with such feelings? Why was he the only one that didn't seem to be so blind?

'But why, if we're stronger than them...?'


	3. Chapter 2: Adieu

More years passed, and Sheik was becoming a fierce and merciless fighter, much to his father's contentment. It seemed as though he finally lost the childish innocence he so desperately clung to, and became a man. An unmarked man, but still, a man. Everyone in Kakariko was amazed that he still made it this far in his trainings... they were surprised, yes, but also very worried. The life and curiosity in Sheik's eyes dimmed and faded away with time, leaving nothing but cold calculations of fighting stances, chain whip techniques and stealth strategies. He didn't talk, he didn't smile, he didn't do much of anything except train and learn from his father. No longer he cried when the day was over, and when he passed near his mother to go to bed at the break of dawn, he never even looked at her. In fact, he never looked in the eyes of anyone, and when someone was talking to him, he listened closely, but was always looking to the ground... as if ashamed of something. No life. An shell but no more soul. Only this silent, burning hate for everyone and everything, especially Hylians. This hate had grown restless and it was fed with every fighting move he made, every lesson he learned.

He was seeing Liyana very rarely, if not never. And the few times they'd spend moments together, it always ended in an argument or with Liyana crying. And Sheik only stood there, looking at the ground, his eyes un-focusing, while she cried his name over and over, trying to knock some sense out of him. She was missing him so much, and yet he didn't seem to care.

The last night they ever spent together had been like a punch in the stomach for Liyana. She had known that, far to the west, a tribe named the Gerudos was declaring war with Hyrule... She had known it would most probably be the bloodiest, most savage war Hyrule would have ever encountered. She had known the Sheikahs had to protect the Royal Family of Hyrule. Yet when he finally spoke to her, of his own will and, because he wanted to, not because he had to, she thought she'd be crying of joy. However, things didn't really go the way she was hoping them to.

They were outside and the sun was setting at the horizon, lighting the sky with shades of oranges, reds and pinks. He had just finished training, and was turned toward the massive, warming sun, his naked back facing her behind him. She couldn't resist but looking at it, how... plain, and empty it was. There was no mark of The Shadow there, no symbol of the eye of truth permanently tattooed on this strong, lifeless man's back. She absent-mindedly rubbed her own back with her hand, feeling the bumps of scars from her mark. A word made its way in her mind instantly at that very moment.

Unfair.

Then he turned to face her, but said nothing.

"Why did you want to see me?" She asked, searching yet again for a remaining shatter of soul in his dark red eyes. Then he looked at her, and she felt her heart flutter in disbelief and uncontrollable love. He actually looked at her.

"I am departing tomorrow for the war." He said, then spoke no more. Liyana felt her heart exploding in thousands of shards, cutting her inside, and she broke in tears, clinging to him tightly, burying her face in his neck. He didn't move. She sobbed endlessly, until her cries were only muffled sniffs and body spasms, until she fell into an uneasy sleep from the overwhelming fatigue and headache that engulfed her. Saying nothing he silently took her in his arms and headed for her home. Unbeknownst to Sheik, his mother had been watching the scene from afar all along, and she couldn't help but let a tear flow down her cheek as she fully realized the thing that her son had become.

But she couldn't be angry with him, never could she, because never was it his fault.

Sheik bent down and laid the young woman on her bed, then got up and left without even saying goodbye, without even staring at her one last time, before heading for the war field. When he closed the door behind him, Liyana broke into silent sobs again, hiding her face in her pillow, only wishing it would be Sheik instead. Again.


	4. Chapter 3: Berserk

Darkness, there was a lot of it, and suffocating smoke everywhere. Loud battle cries mixed with pained screamings echoed together in what seemed to be some sort of language of its own. The charred fields of Hyrule were eternally splattered with deep blood marks. The heat was unbearable. There was fire everywhere, and one couldn't even be sure if what was standing before them was enemy or ally. Smoke, fire, weapons, blood, tears, and ashes swirled altogether in a whole that was the wrongest thing in the world. This was what welcomed Sheik when he, his father, and a whole lot of Sheikanh warriors arrived in the raging battle as reinforcements for the Hylian Royal Army. They all charged down the hill and toward the battle field on their horses, crying loudly with their weapons, ready... ready to sacrifice themselves for this kingdom. Sheik didn't move. He just stared at the raging war below, and his father hurried his horse back to his son.

"Sheik! Come and fight at once, my son!"

Strange how he started calling him 'his son' when Sheik started to 'take' interest in his teachings.

"You may not have been marked, but let this battle prove everyone you're a Sheikah!" He said loudly, excitedly. Normally unmarked Sheikahs didn't participate in wars, but since the kingdom's alert had been urgent and desperate, Sheik had been forced to follow, against his will, of course.

Then something suddenly was clear in Sheik's cold, tired mind. As he stared at the Hylian army desperately fighting an already lost war, as he stared at hundreds of townsfolk running everywhere in havoc and terror, trying to escape the merciless Gerudos, he realized it pleased him. For once since so many years, he felt a strong feeling of satisfaction at the thought of being there, unharmed, while the Hylian people below were suffering, dieing, screaming. It instantly brought a smile to his lips, much to his father's shock, who hadn't seen his son smile in years. He, too, smiled, thinking that his son had finally understood his place in life, and that he was proud to fight. But he had misunderstood everything. Every single thing he had thought at that moment.

His son kicked his horse and charged toward the battle, a twisted and sick laughter echoing around him. He completely forgot about his father who stood there a moment, mesmerized, before charging too, and he lost track of him. An Hylian knight who was severely wounded looked up at Sheik on his steed and smiled, relieved to see that the reinforcements had finally arrived. In a matter of seconds he felt several stings on his throat and chest, and before he could react, the knight was lying lifeless on the bloodstained ground, amongst piles of other corpses from both armies. Sheik laughed even louder, putting back his needles in his pouch, and hurried his horse forward again.

A knight was close to cutting a Gerudo's throat before Sheik stabbed him in the neck from behind, with his dagger. The knight fell down and the Gerudo woman looked very confused for a moment. Sheik continued on his killing spree without even noticing, still smiling like he had never done before, as happy as ever. This was indeed a beautiful day, such a beautiful day.

He stopped for a moment to wipe his sweating forehead with the back of his hand, and noticed some peasants trying to run away from the war not too far from the Forest's entrance. He kicked his horse again and it ran like lightning to the terrified people. Seeing it was a Sheikah, some of the Hylians stopped their wild run and went near Sheik.

"Please, help us young warrior!"

"Take us to safety, we beg you!"

Sheik only chuckled before punching one of the woman right in the face, causing her to fall backwards, shrieking painfully. He took out his dagger again and stabbed a man in the chest before hurrying his horse into a run yet again. He wanted more, he couldn't get enough of this. Finally it was their turn to pay for all the meaningless pain he had endured all of his life. His life that had been carelessly taken away from him. Yes!

Chasing a couple, he prepared his needles and positioned them in a matter of seconds between his fingers, ready to strike. Then one of the two turned around to face him, causing Sheik's horse to stop abruptly in surprise. The man held in his right hand a short sword. Sheik chuckled. How pathetic Hylians were. Seeing it was a Sheikah, and not a Gerudo who had been chasing them, the man looked shocked.

"You? But, you are..." The man couldn't even finish his sentence before he had to block himself from a needle with his sword. Sheik smiled. Finally, some desperate kind of opposition. This would be fun. He looked slightly behind the dark brown-haired man for a second, and saw a woman with waist-length golden hair, tightly clinging what seemed to be a small package made of soft material. A baby.

"Hey!" The man yelled. "You are with us!"

Sheik dismounted his horse, and said nothing.

The husband lunged forward, ready to die for the safety of his wife, and Sheik merely stood there, unmoving, smiling. When the man was an arm-length close to him, he swiftly grabbed his neck with one hand, at one specific place, which made the man choke and gasp for air. His sword fell from his hand.

"Run, darling! Run and g-get our child to safety!" He still managed to spurt out. His wife did as he commanded, without even questioning nor protesting. She seemed to cling even more to the tiny bundle of life she was holding and ran. Sheik didn't care. He was savoring the moment in all of its splendor. The man's arms were flailing about helplessly, his legs wouldn't support him anymore, and they went suddenly limp. He couldn't feel them anymore, nor move them. Sheik released his grip on him, and he crashed painfully on the ground, unable to move but still coughing blood and saliva.

Sheik took the short sword from the ground, and bent on one knee before the man. He grabbed his hair with his other free hand, to force him to look up at him, and smiled. A true, beautiful smile that was brought by the man's very terror growing in his eyes.

"Y-You! What's happening to y--"

The sword struck true into the man's throat, blood splattered into Sheik's face, but he didn't mind. In fact, oh, he enjoyed it. But his fun was cut short as he heard his name behind him, and the voice brought shivers down his spine.

"Sheik!! What in heaven are you doing!?" Screamed his father, blinded by anger. How he managed to find him here was a coincidence of humongous proportions, and Sheik wasn't happy anymore. His mouth turned dry and seemed to taste of sour venom, similar as to when one is about to heave up. The young Sheikah stood up from the lifeless body near him and turned around to face his father.

His traits were devoured by anger and shame. He had never seen his father so angry. If he would have been younger he would have cringed and cried at the mere sight of his father slightly angry, but today it brought him joy and more satisfaction.

You can't control me.

His father had a lit torch in one hand, a small dagger in his other, and Sheik could tell he was a bit wounded from previous fights back at the center of the battlefield. He snickered nervously.

"You were a shame to your family, but now you are a shame to your whole tribe!!" He screamed furiously. Sheik walked towards him calmly, staring at his father in the eyes, piercing his soul. It's been years since he done that.

"Let... me... live!" It came out from his mouth in a low, anger-controlled whisper, but as he finished saying it, it turned into a desperate scream. He lunged forward with his dagger, and his father did the same. He had the advantage of having two weapons, but Sheik didn't care. He was going to make him pay, make him pay so much, to make him scream below him for mercy.

Both blinded by hate, father and son battled each other, and small metallic sounds of blades clashing echoed as both wanted to undo the other, take the other by surprise. Sheikanh fights were far more dangerous than Hylian's. One strike and it was over. No magic, nor shields, nor fairies, only two small blades and a lot of skill. Sheikanh fights could be over in a matter of seconds, but usually, two of them fighting each other with the same level of knowledge and skill could take long. But at the moment the only thing that mattered for both of them, so blinded by rage, was to make the other pay for what he had done.

As they circled each other swiftly again, closing in until they were mere inches away from each other, Sheik was on defensive; a thing he was rarely forced to do, but if he still had the same level of skill as his father, he was far from being near as strong. The whole war around seemed to stop for the two warriors, time was being held for the moment they fought, as if it had been anticipated, written somewhere that this fated day would come, and that the victor would finally stop being tormented by the other.

Sheik gasped, as blood poured down his lips onto the ground. Everything before his eyes slowed down and blurred dangerously. He could feel the blade piercing in between his collarbones, right into his jugular vein. He coughed blood and the ground came to him, no, actually, he fell down on his knees in front of his father, a vision of pure authority over a rebelled child who understood nothing. His eyes started to unfocus and close, still, he gritted his teeth in extreme anger.

He had failed. How did... this happen? His head hit the warm ground and everything swirled and mixed around him. His father looked down at him but did nothing, not that Sheik had expecting him to help, he would have struggled against it. With what power he did not know, but he would have managed to push him away. He heard his father weeping, or was he laughing? He couldn't tell. He didn't want to. He didn't care. He wanted to live. He was going to die. Hell with everything.

Sheik felt a very hot sting on his shoulders, swiftly spreading over all his back, and could muster enough energy to moan painfully, his body spasming with excruciating ache. He was burning. He struggled, tried to make the fire go away, but there was so much of it. He rolled, but it burned the grass too, since the weather had been hot and very dry lately. He couldn't see anything but fire everywhere, cracking his eyes open, burning his insides. He saw a glimpse of what could have been his father, standing not too far away from him, his dagger dripping with his own son's blood in one hand, and the torch that he had burned his own son alive with. He stood there. He did nothing. Not that Sheik wanted him to help. He stopped struggling, and glared at him.

Until he died.


	5. Chapter 4: Fates

"You messed everything up pretty bad, didn't you?" She said, more of a statement than an actual question. She giggled silently, not wanting to make him angry.

"Yes. Yes, I did..." He replied, emotionless.

"If you would be offered another chance, would you take it?" There was a great anticipation in her voice.

"I... I don't know if I'm strong enough to try again..." Tears flew down his cracked, burned cheeks.

Many, many years later...

Princess Zelda of Hyrule ran through the fields like a mad girl, never stopping to look back or catch her breath. More important matters were at stake right now, and she found it ridiculous that the heir to the throne of Hyrule was fleeing, but there was nothing else she could do. Oh, it was all her fault. If only all of this had happened to her and only her, but she had to drag somebody else along in this. Where was Link, now? It's been so long...

She had been able to flee the castle while Ganondorf's guards were changing duties. What a luck she had had. Now the only thing she could think of was to run away, away, run and find Link, but she knew he wasn't there, she knew where he was, and why he couldn't be there right now. They were young, both so very too young... And she also knew she didn't have the right to turn to somebody for protecting Hyrule. It was her kingdom, her duty. One of the Triforce parts on the back of her hand slightly glowed, and it seemed to give her the support she needed to keep her legs going. She was past the forest, past Lon Lon Ranch now, and out in the open. She had to find a place to hide...

For the moment, she corrected.

A moment to hide and think about what to do next. She thought she was powerful with her magic, and she was, but Ganondorf was also a very good sorcerer, something she had come to know when she tried to face him about oh, one year ago maybe? She didn't count the days anymore. The moon's light pierced through a ripping between the clouds in the night sky, and for the first time in her whole life, it was intensifying her fright. She had never been scared of the dark nor the night life. But now that Ganondorf took over, everything seemed menacing, angry, dead, and savage. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes but she didn't let them go any further.

How did... this happen? She asked herself, and at that very moment she tripped on her own footsteps and crashed hard on the dew-covered grass. The tears coursed down her cheeks without any protest this time. When she got up again, she had to use the rather big rock near her to stand again, because she was much weaker than she had thought. Then she noticed the rock wasn't very solidly planted in the ground, and not without efforts that outstanded her, was able to move it aside. It revealed a hole just big enough for her body to slip in. Looking all around her one last time, she quickly but carefully made her way inside.

It was a small, blue-like colored cavern, and underneath her sore feet she could see she was walking on soft, cold sand. She made her way to the other end of the small hiding place and took off her shoes, letting her aching feet rest in the comfortable sand. She unconsciously crawled in a ball, as if trying to disappear, and felt her eyelids closing by themselves. She fought against it, because it would be very dangerous if ever someone or something found her... And Goddesses she was hungry. She was so pale and thin it nearly made her look like she was a walking corpse. She couldn't remember the last time she ate, no matter how hard she tried. She remembered it was some bread and hot water, though. But at least her screaming stomach was going to keep her awake... at least for a while.

The more she looked at her surroundings, the more this small cavern gave her an odd, eerie feeling. She sighed. She thought she had escaped those frightening feelings when she climbed down the vines into this place. But it seemed that even here, below the ground, Ganondorf's grasp was well and tight. She closed her eyes for a second, swallowing hard and fighting the tears again.

When she opened her eyes again, she was overwhelmed by a great sadness that she couldn't explain, and that wasn't caused by Link's absence nor Ganondorf's reign. It seemed to radiate everywhere and she was just a... victim of it. She was very aware of those kinds of things because she had been gifted in this. Having visions and sensing dangers or emotions was something common for her, but this time it was strangely strong, and convincing, she was feeling the sadness, not just seeing it.

She looked at the other far end of the cavern, where she had climbed down the vines, and saw a silhouette there, sitting straight up but looking down, its arms resting on its crossed legs. Zelda frowned, it was there, unmoving. Strange enough she wasn't scared one bit by this unusual intruder, but oh, this sadness... it was so convincing...

She shakily got up to her feet, aiding herself with the wall behind her and weakly, slowly walked towards the silhouette. As she carefully approached she could see that it was very well-built and tall. By the faint light from above she saw a glitter of silver atop its head. Her heart pounded hard in her chest. Could it be...?

"I-Impa...?" She asked hesitantly, in a soft whisper. The somewhat blurry silhouette still did not move. Now this was beginning to scare her. A lot.

She was about one meter away from the silhouette when it moved its head only, looking up at her. She gasped, now she could see very well that it was male. And dead. It struck her the moment it looked at her. She instantly knew it. It was dead, dead, dead! She felt goose bumps on her arms and even a cold wave run through her spine. She felt the need to scream but only a small, faint gasp came out. A dark-red glimmer seemed to shine in the dead man's eyes.

"You... are weak, and so am I." He spoke in the gravest of voices, lowering his head back to look at the cold sandy ground. Zelda's fear sustained and she carefully, slowly sat beside him, never taking her eyes off him, just to make sure. She studied his face, darkened by unknown shade, and couldn't help but notice how his skin was badly burnt and cracked, his lips barely recognizable. His hair seemed dirty and smelled of fire and ash, and those eyes, those captivating yet sorrow-filled eyes, held such a look of devastating death and hollowness... He lifted his head to stare at her again, still slightly covered in shadows.

"But together, we can be strong." He said. There was a pause before Zelda hesitantly put her hand on top of his. Strange enough, it felt real, and she didn't know if she had to be amazed or not.

"Why are you still here?" She asked softly, and the man took his eyes off from hers again to look at her hand, gently holding his. He put his other hand atop of it and in a violent burst of pain Zelda saw everything in her mind. Everything, all at once, in one big image, one large word. The blood, the pain, the ripping feeling, the fire, the war, the hate, the sorrow, the disappointment, the shame, the violence. And an unconditional, untold love.

She shrieked and cringed, unable to bear any more of those horrific sights. In one second or so, she knew everything that had to be known, and understood perfectly. New tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she slightly shook from the sudden extreme burst of fear. She could see it had hurt him to see her cringe away from him, scared stiff. This... ghost, wasn't evil at all. It was... unable to go away, unable to leave its memories behind and start something new, someplace else.

Maybe it was able, she thought, but it just didn't want to.


	6. Chapter 5: Beginning

He kindly offered her his hand so she would be back sitting near him, and without hesitation she took it. There was something about this young Sheikah that made her pity him, like he was a poor child who had been accused of a bad thing he didn't do. Or a man trapped in a situation he'd been manipulated into. Unfair, so unfair.

"I want to... repent for my sins..." He said. "I want to be given another chance."

Zelda slowly nodded. He must have waited here for years on end, in wild hopes that someday someone with strong magical abilities would come down here and then, maybe, oh, to dream is never wrong, maybe that said-person would be kind enough to help him.

For the first time in a long time, Zelda smiled.

"I want to save my kingdom." She answered. "I also want to be given another chance."

He looked at her, surprise and faint hope filling his once lifeless eyes, mouth slightly agape by what he had just heard. Zelda lifted her hand to stroke his cheek tenderly. He closed his eyes.

"Together, we will be strong." She said.

And at that very moment she snapped back to reality, at first she started to fall backwards into an infinite darkness, and then she crashed right back into her own body and gasped loudly, ears ringing and forehead sweating. She looked around her, she was back at the far end of the cavern, laying in a tight ball against the rocky wall. Quickly she got up, ignoring the sudden wave of dizziness, and dusted off her dress. Strange enough, she did feel a lot better now. She wasn't all alone, they both weren't.

Closing her eyes and lifting her hands up high as a trail of blue magic surrounded her, she called forth for him and triggered the transformation, something she had learned to do but was told was very difficult and draining. Have her teachers been wrong all along? She felt refreshed and strangely, happy, as she moved behind her new partner, now sharing both body and spirit with him.

"Sheik..."

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was the air all around him. Life. Moving things. He felt alive once again, and the feeling brought tears to his eyes. How lucky he had been to be given another chance. Now he wasn't going to screw everything up. He tried to leave the bad memories behind like they were just a child's bad dreams and finally decided to start all anew. He had carelessly raped these lands and its people once, and now the least he could do to repent was to save it, within its inhabitants.

He was still wearing the traditional Sheikah battle suit, not burnt nor ruined anymore, with the giant symbol of the eye of truth on his chest. He tried to ignore it though as it felt more like a burden to him, he who had not been marked. But that didn't really matter now. Evil knows no tribe nor religion.

He had several bandages on his arms and waist, results from the very wounds of the fire that had killed him once. He also had a large turtleneck that covered most of his face up to his nose, preventing anyone to see his horrible scars. He did notice too, that his features had been lighted; softened; more feminine. He didn't mind. He knew it was bound to happen, he had mixed with the very body of his host. Looking down at himself in a little pond of water near the entrance, he discovered his hair had turned golden, just like Zelda's. He also made sure no one would see his unique, striking ocean-blue eye by systematically putting some of his hair to hide it, so only his remaining Sheikanh eye would be seen.

His ears hurt, and as he touched their once pointy shape he discovered that they had been cut; rounded. He would now be unable to hear the Goddesses, and has been brought down to a mere Gerudo's level. He cursed under his breath, he had known it would happen, but still he was angry.

He then felt an unusual weight on his back, reaching back to know what it was, his fingers felt the soft yet strong strings of a lyre. His eyes watered again and a smile made its way effortlessly on his lips.

Zelda had clearly said that he would have to be as discreet and silent as a shadow, so he had to look like a true Sheikah in every way. He didn't like it much, but he rather focused on the task at hand now, he had to hide the Princess away from Ganondorf's watchful eyes until the Hero of time would finally awaken from his seven-years slumber.

She told him he would be swearing allegiance to the King of Evil in order to suppress any doubts about his true identity. He also had to aid the Hero of Time once he would be awake.

He took a deep breath, fully taking in the warm night air around him. It motivated him, filled him with an intensity and will-power he never felt since forever. He smiled, thinking about Zelda, whose voice spoke in his mind.

"Let's go, my kind protector…"


End file.
